


Another Promise

by chromatus



Series: Promises [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4605186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromatus/pseuds/chromatus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, an old promise can stretch much further than intended. Sometimes, the heart can reveal deeply hidden secrets. And sometimes, a person can be surprised by Sora's unfailing  devotion to friendships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Promise

The first thing he felt was jealousy; the second had been guilt. As Sora and Riku had their touching reunion in Yen Sid’s tower, Lea was quickly reminded of what it meant to be human again. This was being whole—every emotional response, every instance of a feeling he couldn’t control, despite the knowing of how foolish and fruitless it really was.

As a Nobody, he had forced himself into the lie he was fed. Every inkling of a real feeling, when to came to blows, he would push to the side and tell himself that was for people with hearts. He’d refused morality on more than one occasion, even when it felt awful. Whether that was eliminating Vexen brutally or lying to Roxas, leaving Saïx behind with the Organization or kidnapping Kairi for his own means—these things never once felt good. They never felt right or okay, and even though Axel had done a good job of going ‘ _It’s okay, because you don’t have the heart to feel it anyway,_ ” he always felt it. And it always stung.

Those stings had always felt different, though; different from one another, and certainly different than what he felt as he watched the two boys bicker and banter in the way best friends do. This was the sort of envy that was born from longing; more than most things, Lea missed his best friend. And so long as Sora was the boy in front of him, the reunion he wanted felt so far away. He wouldn’t give in to the idea of impossibility, not when he had a promise to keep, but that didn’t change the facts he knew were true. Roxas was part of Sora, after all. He wasn’t sure how, if, or when it was really possible, but Lea wanted to hold onto that faint hope that at the very least, something of Roxas would shine through and make itself known, just so he could feel its presence. That time wouldn’t be now, though, not with all that had just happened in the round room with the Xehanort Bunch. It remained on his mind just as much as everything else as his eyes darted around the room, following the bits and pieces of conversation that filled it.

Lea was content to observe, to laugh along when he needed to and give his input, but he was still very much an outsider. Up until his demise, everyone in the room he shared had been on the opposite side of him; even though they treated him no prejudice (only surprise, and that’s understandable in Lea’s eyes), he hadn’t yet found his place among this group. All he knew was that he wanted to wield the Keyblade for the side of light, that he wanted to put a stop to Xehanort, and that he wanted to try and atone for all of his wrongdoings as Axel. As much he would have liked to treat his Nobody like a separate entity, there was no denying his memories and his heart—he had a lot of apologies to make, though not necessarily to the people in that room. To the others still in Radiant Garden, to Kairi and Naminé, and to Isa, especially. It was a long list, and one he believed should have been even longer, though he hadn’t any idea why there was a niggling feeling that continuously tugged at his heart when he considered it.

_Oh well, one thing at a time here._

The moments of celebration eventually met their end, and it was at that time that Yen Sid began to outline what came next. He clarified some of what had happened, and just how many people had been lost as a result of Xehanort's misdeeds; he also spoke of how very many had a deep connection to Sora’s heart, and that his endeavors would be a key to repairing some of the misdeeds wrought by Xehanort. Yen Sid gave his instructions to Mickey, Riku, and Sora before his attention turned to Lea.

“—And you, Lea, are to remain here. Summoning a Keyblade is quite a feat, but it’ll do you little good if you don’t learn to properly wield it.”

_Of course._

“Yeah, I got it. What, you didn’t think I was just gonna take that power and run with it, did you?” He let out a bit of a laugh—maybe out of a vague awkwardness, or maybe simply out of a desire to ease the tension in the room that came from their heavy circumstances. “Before I get into Keyblade crackdown mode though, I got a stop or two to make. You know, pressing matters back in Radiant Garden and all. I kinda… up and left before I could take care of things.”

There hadn’t been time for apologies. Even though he’d shared words with Ienzo and Aeleus, and though it had been nothing short of civil, he couldn’t let those things sit, not with the way he had been a direct cause in their Nobody’s demise at Castle Oblivion. The same went for Even, whom Lea imagined would have recovered enough by this point for conversation. These things were of the type he needed to take care of before hammering down any harder; now that there are set plans and goals in mind beyond wanting to wield a Keyblade to bring back everyone who matters, he couldn’t let it sit.

Riku and Sora, however, weren’t entirely sure this was the proper motivation. They exchanged a knowing glance, following it up by smug, skeptical smiles.

“Pressing matters, huh? What do you think, Sora? Because it sounds to me like someone just wants to show off their Keyblade.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right about that. Who do you think you’re trying to fool here?” They both chided, and when Sora gave him a look that was so reminiscent of a face Roxas would have made, he found himself on the defensive, albeit in a lighthearted manner.

“What—Hey, come on! I’ve got a little more integrity than that, y’know? I think you’re forgetting that I’m not the same guy you remembered from before. It’s really time to get it memorized…”

There was a slight exasperation in his tone, but Lea didn’t mean much by it; really, it was just the crushing defeat of those two kids besting him. They weren’t entirely wrong, after all. His ability to wield a Keyblade would be the proof to the others that he meant what he said, that he wasn’t going to be playing both sides, and that his intentions were not as shrouded as they’d once been in the past. In any case, his exasperation was met with a laugh by nearly all in the room, save Yen Sid, who was ready to get back to the topic at hand, however little there was left to cover.

“Very well, Lea. It would be best for you to take care of your matters beforehand. However, while you’re there, it would be in our best interest to confirm the intentions of those who’ve been recompleted. Though I doubt many of them would be willing to side with Xehanort’s plans, matters have gotten more complex since their demise as Nobodies.”

“You can count on me, Master. I’ll check it out and get whatever else I can out of them in a flash.” Yen Sid gave a nod, seemingly placated by the response. Lea, satisfied with that much, held up his hand in a half wave. “I’ll get going now, then. Wouldn’t want to waste any precious time when we’ve got a lot to do.”

It was very much like him to make a statement like that, to somehow make even exiting seem self-important, but the truth was that Lea was ready to take off. Everyone had their tasks and plans, and so did he; the ‘party,’ as it were, was coming to an end with everyone taking care of what needed to be done in order to prepare. So he headed to the base of the tower, with the intent on leaving in the way instructed to him—Corridors of Darkness were out of the question with a heart to protect, after all—though he didn’t get very far.

“Axel!” The sound of Sora’s voice called from behind him, and the way Lea immediately turned around was instinctive. After all, it was the name he'd answered to for so many years now. “....I mean, Lea.”

Well, at least that saved him from making the correction. “What’s up?”

“Before you go, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“Tell _me_?” Lea’s eyebrow arched, curious to know what it was. He honestly couldn’t even imagine what Sora could possibly have to say to him at this juncture, especially not after they’d been in the same room for a good couple of hours. “All right, go ahead.”

“While I was asleep… I got to talk to Roxas,” he started, and Lea’s attention was immediately piqued, though he said nothing while Sora continued to explain. “And I wanted you to know as much as I wanted him to know—we’re not the same person. Our hearts, they’re different. I really believed that anyway, but when he shared his memories with me, I knew for sure. His memories, everything he felt… his laughter, his worries, his pain… those belong to him. Even if he came from me, it doesn’t mean he _is_ me.”

As he paused, Sora closed his eyes and put a hand over his chest, as if he was trying to physically reach for Roxas’ presence.

“Sora…” Lea, however, was left little more than speechless, completely stunned by the statement. Before he could even collect his thoughts to respond, Sora was continuing on.

“That’s why… I want to find a way to bring him back. I don’t know how yet, but I know there has to be a way. For him, and for that girl, too.”

“That girl? You mean Naminé?” He was surprised enough at Sora’s claim, though perhaps not as much as he could have been; after all, this was Sora. It was just like him to want to find a way to bring Roxas back. Lea wanted it to, so of course, he’d oblige. But the mention of a girl having anything to do with this did leave him a bit baffled.

Sora shook his head, much to Lea’s confusion. “I want to bring her back too, but that’s not who I’m talking about. There was another girl… she looked… well, a lot like Kairi. Her hair was darker, and she wore a black coat.”

It was clear that Sora was as confused about this Lea was. A girl with a black coat—that should have meant she was with the Organization, but the only girl Lea ever remembered in their ranks was Larxene, and there was definitely no confusing that girl with Kairi. It left Lea frazzled, but all the same, there was a tightness in his chest at the description. It was a burn, an ache as if he missed something or someone—it felt the same as his longing for his best friend, but yet pitted in a totally different light. It was _strange_ , to say the least.

“I dunno any girls that fit that description but…” He trailed off for a moment, gaze averting briefly. The pained look in his expression was obvious enough to Sora from that alone, and even as Lea focused back on him, it seemed present. “Something tells me that she’s important.”

“Yeah,” Sora replied, and as he did so, a small, almost wistful smile tugged at his lips. “They all are. Roxas, Naminé, that girl, and the others, too. We’ll find a way to bring them all back, somehow. ...Isa, too.”

That response was one Lea could accept. He fell quiet, considering it. Was it really possible to bring all those people who had been lost back? It may have been easier for those like Braig and Isa, who were alive, even if they were being manipulated and influenced by Xehanort’s heart. But the ones locked inside Sora’s heart? The anomalies? The ones who had been missing for an entire decade? It seemed far-fetched from a logistical standpoint, but there was something else about this that Lea knew. Sora _would_ figure out a solution. He wouldn’t give up on a single one of them as long as their hearts still existed somewhere. That kid could make even the impossible seem plausible, and he believed in the words he shared with Roxas when their own hearts connected. Sora would find the answer they were looking for.

And as for Lea? He had his promises to keep. “Yeah, you know you can count me in, too. No way I’m gonna be left out of all the fun.”

“Hey… one more thing.” As if knowing Lea was prepared to turn on his heels and really leave that time, Sora spoke up once more. “For what you did back there… Thanks.”

“Huh? What are you thanking me for?”

Sora laughed a little, placing his hands behind his head casually. “I dunno, for everything? Not just for today, but… for telling me where Kairi was, for opening up a door to that world. And for being friends with Roxas, too. I’m almost jealous that he’s got a friend that would go so far for him!”

With that, Lea felt the embarrassment surging into his cheeks. “Did ya really have to go bringing up that past like that? It’s no big deal… I was just trying to keep a promise I made, that’s all.”

“...That you’d always be there to bring them back.” The words came from Sora’s mouth almost distantly, and even he seemed unsure of how he knew them. Lea’s expression seemed to signify the very same, but it soon melted into a smile.

“Exactly. And that means you too, so don’t get yourself into too much trouble while I’m gone.”

“Right. See ya real soon… Lea.”

“Good to see you’ve finally got it memorized.”

It was the only reply Lea gave before taking off for Radiant Garden. He still had a long way to go, in every regard. As a person, as a human, he still had to make his apologies and right the wrongs of his past. He had to help stop Xehanort’s plans, he had to bring back Isa and Braig, help Sora with bringing back everyone else, and try to remember all the things that come with being whole again. He also had to learn the finer points of being a Keyblade wielder and catch up to the others. But that was okay, even if there wasn’t a lot of time to sort things out, Lea knew for sure that they’d get where they had to be.

And that somehow, he’d keep promises both new and old, to friends he just made and the ones he couldn’t remember.


End file.
